Hay Preservative

I know there is another thread running close to this topic but, I didnt want to highjack someone else's thread. 

 

Over the years my round bale customer base has grown mainly with horse customers. Volume customers are still cow farmers but I have more horsey customers who buy in smaller quantities but total volume is about equal to cow folks.  I have worked hard over the years to improve the quality of hay I produce and I am always looking to what I can do next to continue to improve.  Especially since I have picked up so many horsey folks.

 

Here in sunny SC making dry hay is usually not a problem.  In fact I don't know that I knew there was such a thing as hay preservative until I found this forum.  You just don't see it here. A few things have made me think about adding preservative to my operation:

 

I am going to walk the slippery slope of making dry ryegrass hay this spring.  I know from past experience this can be hard to do even here in SC.  I would feel better about making ryegrass hay with preservative.

I have noticed some of the round bales I made late last season are dusty now.  I checked these bales with a hand held and I thought they were fine.

I talked to farmercline about his experiences and he recommended a dry preservative.  I liked what he had to say, but when I checked on the cost of the application system I was taken back a bit.

 

I would like to hear from some others folks here  in the southeast making grass hay.  Are you using preservative? If so, what are you using? How often are you applying, (early & late in the season or all the time)?

 

One thing I am doing is adding a moisture meter to my balers.  Getting in and out of the tractor to check bales with a hand held has gotten old.  Also, since being on this forum, I now realize how much conditions change during the day.  

 

Sorry for the long post. But I would appreciate any feedback.

Hay Preservative